Drug suspect flees with child, later arrested

SAN ANTONIO — Police arrested two men Thursday after one of the men took a car with a child sitting inside and fled from park police officers who were trying to take both men into custody.

The girl, around 4 years old, was found safe after police tracked the man to a house in the 6200 block of Luckey Run in west Bexar County, San Antonio police Sgt. Javier Salazar said.

The incident began around 12:30 p.m. when two park police officers in plain clothes were monitoring Elmendorf Lake Park on the West Side near the 3700 block of West Commerce.

Salazar said a 28-year-old man approached the officers and asked if they wanted to buy drugs. As the officers spoke with him another man, 26, came up to them and asked about the drugs. At this point, the officers identified themselves and the two men ran, Salazar said.

The older of the two was caught but the other man jumped into a car and took off. The suspect in custody told police that there was a 4-year-old girl in the car who he had been asked to take care of, Salazar said.

With help from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, authorities were able to take the second man into custody by 2:15 p.m.

The girl didn't appear to be physically harmed but police called EMS as a precautionary measure. Officers then gave her some snacks and a stuffed animal as they waited for Child Protective Services.